Fish oil has been one of the staples of nutritional supplements for a very long time. Many of us have childhood memories of being given a spoonful of cod liver oil or halibut oil before bed, sometimes stirred into hot milk. I certainly remember it, plus all the other vitamins and minerals that were nearly all we had in our medicine cabinet, alongside a few sticking plasters, cough syrup and antiseptic solution. Whether this was a pleasant memory or not depends on the individual some people liked the taste of plain cod liver oil, others preferred it mixed in with something else to disguise the fishy taste, and others couldn't stand it at all. But our mothers and grandmothers all agreed: cod liver oil and other fish oils were Good For You. As good for you as eating up your greens and going outside for some fresh air. And grandmother was right fish oil is very good for your health, and it hasn't stopped being good for you now that you're grown up and old enough to be a parent or grandparent yourself.
Research has borne out grandma's empirical observation that fish oil is beneficial to your health. This is because fish oil is a source of essential fatty acids, especially the Omega-3 fatty acids.
First of all, let's consider the essential fatty acids. In spite of the bad rap that fats and oils have got in recent decades and from some dieting gurus, the body does need some fats in the diet. But before you head off and down a bottle of cream with whoops of joy, it pays to remember that not all fats are created equal. Many of us already know this often our doctors have told us that "animal fats are to be avoided; vegetable fats are OK" or that "saturated fat is bad, unsaturated fat is good". But these simple rules of thumb disguise the complex nature of fats. For example, our doctors may have told us to avoid palm oil or coconut oil (even though it is vegetable oil) because it contains saturated fats. It does, but pure coconut oil does not raise your levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol but lowers them instead, while raising the levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. Fish oil is another exception to the rule - even though it is an animal fat (as opposed to a vegetable fat), it is one of the best oils that you can take.
The reason why fish oils are so good for you is because they contain Omega 3 essential fatty acids (in fact, they are the richest source of Omega-3 oils). Omega-3 fats have a strong link to improved cardiovascular health (they reduce the risk of heart disease/heart attack and strokes). Omega-3s are able to significantly reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood. They also help with a number of other blood-related disorders, including varicose veins, high blood pressure, blood clots and poor circulation. Omega-3 supplements can also fight against certain forms of cancer. Some evidence even suggests that Omega-3s can help alleviate the symptoms of mental disorders such as depression, excessive aggression and ADHD (ah - so that's why our mothers made us take fish oil when we were small!), and maybe even more serious mental disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Once again, grandma was right: fish is good for the brain (although research into whether consuming fish during pregnancy leads to a more intelligent baby is inconclusive).
Fish oil doesn't just contain Omega 3s. Fish oils are also a good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin D - in fact, they are about the only dietary source of Vitamin D (direct sunlight on bare, unprotected skin is the other source of Vitamin D).
As fish are living animals, vegans and vegetarians will not find that fish oils fit into their dietary preferences. A vegetarian substitute for fish oils that contain Omega 3s is either flax oil or hempseed oil. Some nuts, particularly walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts are also a good source of vegetarian Omega-3s.
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